Alexsandra
by cora-91
Summary: Eric catches Lex doing V while she's at Fangtasia... *Rated M for language and for the future. Major disclaimer: I own nothing of True Blood.
1. Chapter 1:

Lex ran her hand through her hair once as she pulled into a narrow parking space next to the bar. Letting out a bored sigh, she turned off her car and glanced at her cell phone. Kiley had texted her a few minutes before telling her that they had gone in without her and would find her inside. Stepping out of her car, Lex adjusted her black racerback tanktop and headed toward the bar's entrance. The red fluorescent _Fangtasia _sign bathed the parking lot in an eerie light, making Lex's olive skin appear darker than usual. She placed one high heeled foot in front of the other and quickly made her way to the door.

A tall blonde woman-vampire, Lex noted-dressed in black latex appeared quite bored as she checked ID's at the entrance. Lex watched as the woman turned away a group of girls who were obviously underage. Lex shook her head in disbelief at the idea of a group of highschool girls desperate to get into a vampire bar. She flipped her long black hair over one shoulder in order to grab her ID out of her purse. She rolled her eyes in annoyance at the length of the line to get in.

_Desperate fangbangers, _she thought to herself. She definitely stood out compared to the rest of the bar's patrons. The twenty something people in line in front of her all wore variations of either black and red latex ensembles that clung tightly to their overweight, middle-aged, or sickly skinny bodies. Lex wrinkled her nose in distaste, happy to be comfortable in her classic black skinny jeans, favorite high heels and black tanktop. She was glad she had left her signature black leather jacket in her car—she could tell there was going to be a crowd of people inside and it would be hot.

Lex glanced around the overweight middle aged man in front of her to see how long she still had to go. The line hadn't seemed to move at all. No vampire bar was worth this wait, Lex decided. With that, she stepped out of her place in line and headed to where the blonde woman stood at the door. She willed herself to exude confidence and power—a combination that usually proved successful when dealing with vampires. The beautiful woman turned from the ID she had been scrutinizing and faced Lex. Her piercing eyes looked the dark-haired girl up and down.

Pam placed one hand on her cocked hip and lifted an eyebrow. "Can I help you?"

Lex gave a small smirk and held out her ID to the bouncer. "Yeah, it's just that my friends are inside waiting for me and I would love to get in right now." Lex gave the bouncer a knowing look and raised her eyebrows, waiting for a reply.

Pam looked the girl up and down again. "Aren't you something," she commented dryly, her eyes lingering on the way Lex's jeans hugged her legs. Pam held out her hand for the ID.

"Hm, right," Lex muttered quietly, as she flashed a sweet smile and passed the flirtatious woman her driver's license.

"Just 21," Pam commented as she looked over the ID, quickly memorizing everything on the small card. "Alexsandra Nichole Christos. Greek?" she asked, glancing up to the meet the young girl's eyes.

"Just Lex," Lex corrected the bouncer, "and yes, my parents are from Ithaca."

"Beautiful island," Pam commented. She appraised the beautiful young girl again, taking in every bit of Lex's luxurious black hair, dark skin, and her nearly black eyes. _Beautiful human, _Pam thought to herself. "The name's Pam," Pam offered as an introduction, handing the girl her ID back. "I do hope you'll come by more often," she added with a smile.

Lex tossed a smile at Pam's direction and entered the club, eyeing the place immediately in search for her friends.

The club was definitely tacky, she decided immediately. Obviously it played to what the fangbangers' expectations of a vampire club. Lex spotted her friends scattered around the bar: two girls at the bar and three scattered around the dance floor. She saw Kiley grinding against some guy clad in leather and caught her eye, motioning to the bar.

Lex definitely wanted a drink—she was going to need a good buzz to put up with all the pathetic fangbangers the bar attracted. Sure, Lex was also at the vampire bar, but she in no way considered herself a part of the fangbanging crowd. One, she didn't fawn over vampires; if they wanted to fawn over her, that was fine, but she would never throw herself at any man—dead or alive. Two, she only showed up at these types of places when her friends would drag her there. Lex was definitely a fan of having a good time, and she knew from experience that vampires often partied harder than humans did.

She ordered herself two tequila shots and a rum and coke. The vampire bartender raised an eyebrow as he watched her down the two tequila shots and then chase them with a sip from her rum and coke.

She caught his eye and gave him a small shrug and a smile.

"What?" she asked him innocently. Throwing a twenty down on the bar and grasping her drink tighter, she turned from the bar.

"You should keep them coming, by the way," she threw over her shoulder as she walked away.

The tequila had warmed her body by the time she made it to the dance floor. She found Kiley and nudged her with her hip to get her attention.

"Lexa!" Kiley drunkenly squealed as she gave her friend a quick hug.

Lex gave her a smile as she looked her friend up and down. Kiley was wearing a pair of leather leggings with a tight fitting tube top. She definitely looked the part, Lex noticed with a grin. Of course, Kiley was pretty much what Lex would classify as a fangbanger—as long as said vampire would be willing to spare a few drops of V at some point. Lex shivered slightly at how deeply her friend had gotten into using the drug. Sure, Lex had accepted some a few times at various parties, but she was never one to become addicted to anything. She saw, she took, she partied, and she moved on. She didn't like to rely on anyone or anything for long periods of time—including drugs.

Lex downed her drink and turned toward the stage, setting her empty glass on the edge before turning back to dance with her friend. Lex felt the music flow through her and the songs seemed to blur together as her, Kiley, their other friends, and random bar patrons all danced together. Lex could tell vampires from humans, a skill she picked up early on in her life even before vampires "came out of the coffin" publicly. Still, as the night wore on and her drinks seemed to empty before her, Lex found herself not caring to notice the people around her.

Lex stumbled as she made her way through the crowd back toward the bar. She pulled out her phone to check the time, amazed that it was already past two in the morning. Of course, she had always been a night person, and partying just made it that much easier. She grabbed the edge of the bar and plopped herself down on one of the barstools.

"Longshadow!" she called as she put her head in her hands. The room was spinning way too fast. She knew she was pretty wasted, but she couldn't resist one more drink.

The vampire bartender was before her in a second, flashing her a toothy smile. He put a hand under her chin to get a better look at her face.

"There's not many people I'd let call my name and order me around, ya know," he said gruffly, giving her a half smile.

"Yeah, but we're _friends._" Lex smiled at him, her grin slightly crooked.

"I think you've probably had enough, little human," the bartender told her as he dried out a glass.

"Two shots of tequila, big guy," Lex threw another twenty down, not caring that she was vastly overpaying for two shots.

"Alright," he agreed, pocketing the money and shaking his head in disapproval. He poured the two shots and watched as she downed them quickly. Lex stood up after pushing the empty shot glasses back towards him. She pushed people out of her way—earning some choice words from those in her way, as well as some growls from the vampires—and found Kiley.

"Bitch, bathroom," Kiley ordered her, as she grabbed Lex's arm and pulled her towards where the ladies' room was.

Lex was too drunk to really care where her friend was taking her—she was completely along for the ride tonight, living in the moment.

As soon as the bathroom door closed, Kiley locked it and threw her large shoulder bag on the counter. She pulled out a small red vial and raised her eyebrows conspiratorially, motioning to the vial.

"Nah." Lex turned the drug down with a wave—she was completely buzzed enough without the V. She turned to grab the bathroom door handle but stopped before she unlocked it. She grabbed the vial out of her friend's hand and leaned in close to her. She knew vampires had good hearing. "You can't do that shit here, Ki," Lex whispered. "Vampires take that shit seriously," she slurred her words slightly.

"Well if me and you finish it, then there's no way we'll get caught now is there?" Kiley answered back, a sly smile spreading across her red lips.

"Fine, but outside," Lex instructed. She wasn't so sure about doing it inside the vampire bar. Despite her state of intoxication, Lex knew how vampires felt about the drug; she shivered as she realized what could happen if they were caught in a vampire bar with the stuff.

Kiley rolled her eyes but stuffed the vial back in her pocket and made her way outside the bathroom and to the door of the bar. Lex followed, stumbling in the process. She bumped into somebody blonde and curvy on her way and had to squint her eyes slightly to make out the face.

"Well, if it isn't Greek girl herself," Pam said. "And where are we headed?"

"Out—home?" Lex offered. She was way too drunk to come up with a quick response.

"Right," Pam said, looking slightly disappointed. "You really want to stay though." Pam said quietly, searching Lex's eyes for something. Despite being so wasted, Lex felt uncomfortable under the vampire's intense stare. A feeling of familiarity washed over Lex as Pam stared intently into her eyes, but in her drunken state, Lex shrugged off the feeling and focused on getting out of the bar.

"Yeah, maybe some other time." Lex broke eye contact and walked around Pam, quickly meeting Kiley at the door.

Pam watched the dark haired beauty with intense interest as she walked away from her. _Interesting, _Pam thought. She had never found someone who resisted her glamour. She walked towards Eric's office, interested to share a new development on the beautiful girl.

Kiley was standing with a tall, dark haired man when Lex finally caught up with her. The vampire had his large arm around Kiley, pulling her close into him, and Lex watched as Kiley giggled. Lex approached them slowly—she couldn't wait to go pass out somewhere.

Kiley grabbed Lex's arm as soon as she was close.

"Let's do this shit, Lexa," Kiley said, pulling her out to the parking lot. Lex noticed that the man followed them, a slight grin on his face.

"Oh, Lex, this is Ben," Kiley explained, waving in his direction. "Vampire," she added with a grin.

Lex nodded at him, assuming that the big vampire had no problem with Kiley illicit activities. "Kiley, I'm really not in the mood for anything else tonight—I'm about to pass out as it is."

Kiley pouted as they stopped between two tall trucks in the parking lot. "Lex," she whined. "It's no fun to do anything by yourself." Lex rolled her eyes.

"Whatever," she said. She assumed that the vampire with Kiley knew what they were doing. He raised his eyebrows expectantly, motioning to Kiley to take her part of the vial. She downed half of it quickly, grinning madly when she swallowed. She gave the rest to Lex and watched as Lex drank what was left.

"Awesome isn't it?" Kiley asked her, her eyes completely glazed over. She grabbed Lex's arm "Lex, I'm going with Ben now. I suggest you find yourself a guy to hook up with ya know?"

Lex closed her eyes as she felt the V wash through her system. Kiley laughed at her friend's enjoyment.

"Love you bitch," she said, grabbing Lex's face and giving her a kiss.

Lex nodded and leaned against one of the trucks to steady herself as she adjusted to the effects of the drug on her body. She hugged her friend and watched as Kiley climbed into a car with Ben and drove away. Lex headed back in the bar, completely rejuvenated and ready to keep partying. She swayed to the music in her head as she walked toward the entrance.

Then she was on the ground, her face smashed into the gravel of the parking lot. She felt a heavy weight on top of her as she struggled to regain focus. The drug was still moving through her system as she saw a blonde haired man sitting on top of her. She struggled out from underneath her attacker, pushing the man off her slightly using the strength that the V had given her. Before she could get to her feet though, she was thrown across the parking lot, hitting the side of the building and landing, once again, with her face in the gravel. She still heard music playing in her head, but this time she found it hard to move, hard to breathe. She struggled to get to her feet, but as a huge force collided with her abdomen, blackness washed over her.


	2. Chapter 2:

Lex felt cold against her skin and a terrible smell stung her nose. She breathed in deeply, trying to figure out what the smell was, but she felt stabbing in her ribs when she did so. _Broken ribs?_ Lex thought idly.

Without opening her eyes, she tried to move her body gently, trying to regain a sense of where she was and what had happened. She vaguely remembered her night at the bar, but she often had nights that she couldn't remember—that was nothing new. She closed her eyes tightly as her head throbbed with the effort of adjusting her body. She started at the beginning of the night—with her first few drinks—and tried to see how much later she could remember. She remembered going to the bathroom with Kiley and talking about V. Had she done it? If she had, then it had had a seriously different effect on her than her previous encounters with the drug.  
With a deep and painful breath, Lex opened her eyes and was immediately startled by the darkness that greeted her. She looked around as her eyes adjusted. Her heart began to pound as she realized she was in some sort of basement. She adjusted her body to a sitting position, although her body screamed at her as she did so. She felt a heavy weight on her left foot and her eyes widened as she saw a heavy metal cuff around her ankle. She leaned down to tug on it, and immediately winced as her chest cracked and white lines of pain flashed before her eyes. Definitely something broken, she realized painfully.

She found a wall behind her, and she leaned against it gently, surveying her situation. She saw a staircase in the corner of the room. Some sort of large metal machinery with poles and chains connected to it was attached to the ceiling in the center of the room. She grabbed the chain connected to her foot and found that she too was connected to the contraption. She swallowed hard and looked down to her pockets for a phone. Of course, it wasn't there.

Lex stared down at her jeans, noticing a large rip in her right knee. She pulled her jeans up, gasping at the pain in her chest as she struggled to pull the skinny jeans up above her knee. There was a large gash underneath where the pants were ripped. She fingered it tenderly. The blood was partially dried, while fresh blood was still slowly seeping from the center of the wound. The cut was huge—stitches, definitely, Lex realized. She surveyed the rest of her legs and was slightly interested to find that her favorite heels were gone, and she was left barefoot. She put a hand up to her face tenderly, and found swelling on the left side, as well as scrapes along her jaw and temple. Her hair was matted with what she assumed was dried blood.

And suddenly, Lex was terrified. She tugged on the chain that was clasped around her foot but found it was impossible to get her foot out. She looked around for a window or anything to tell her where she was or what time it was. The room was bare, though, and she hit her hands on the cold concrete floor in frustration.

"Damnit!" she yelled. She recoiled immediately as she heard the creaking of a door opening. She looked to the staircase to see light shining down it, the shadow of a person slightly scattering the light. Lex sunk deeper against the wall, giving in to the instinctive action of trying to hide herself. She watched as a man descended the stairs. She couldn't see what he looked like in the shadows, but she knew he would be coming toward her.

She tried to mask her face, her emotions. Whatever son of a bitch was keeping her there was not going to see how terrified she was, that was for sure. She put a hand against a wall and tried to brace herself in order to stand up to whoever was coming towards her. She struggled out of her sitting position and managed a slight, bent lean against the wall behind her.

The man let out a soft laugh as he stood before her.

"Please, don't get up," he said with a smirk as he put one hand on her shoulder and violently pushed her back to the ground.

Lex let out a pained groan before quickly shutting her mouth. She looked up at the man, trying to appear defiant.

He was tall. Of course, she was sitting and he was towering over her, but she could tell that even if she were standing, he would dwarf her 5'5 frame. Blonde shaggy hair was slicked back on his head, and his pale skin appeared to glow from the small amount of light that was let in from the staircase.

"Vampire," Lex growled with realization.

The blonde man smirked as he squatted down in front of her.

"Little human," he countered.

Lex narrowed her eyes at him as she took in his facial features. He was gorgeous, she realized, hoping her face would not betray how surprised she was at his beauty.

"Let me the hell out of here," she snapped at him, only to have one of his hands quickly reach out and harshly grab her face. A small gasp escaped her lips as he touched her injured jawline.

"You'll speak when spoken to." He let go of her face roughly, and Lex watched as he seemed to scent the air. He reached up to touch the matted blood in her hair. She turned her head away from him quickly, knocking his hand away in the process.

The vampire growled slightly, annoyed with the child's defiance. Two large hands quickly grabbed her around the waist and tossed her onto her stomach on the hard concrete floor. The chain around her foot had caught her weight midthrow and had yanked her harshly to the ground.

Lex gasped for breath and her hands clutched at her ribs. She felt like they were piercing her lungs, making it impossible for her to get any air into them. She tried to push herself up slightly, doing anything for some oxygen.

Her captor grabbed her by the neck and dragged her back up to a seated position against the wall. Lex coughed as her injured ribs were further disturbed and her already diminished airway was nearly cut off completely by the vampire's strong grip.

Lex's hand reached up and grabbed hold of his wrist. Her eyes pleaded with him as she struggled for breath. The vampire cocked one eyebrow at her before releasing her neck.

Lex took deep raspy breaths as oxygen attempted to fill her lungs once more. She was fairly certain she was going to die—if not from the vampire, then from lack of oxygen. Her body throbbed from being thrown around, and her throat burned from being held so tightly. Her mouth tasted like metal and she felt wetness form on her lips. Reaching up, she found blood there.

Finally admitting to herself what deep shit she was in, Lex raised her eyes to the vampire's and then dropped her head in a slight show of defeat.

"There's a good girl," the vampire said mockingly. He squatted in front of her again so he could see her at her level. "Ready to chat?" he asked.

Lex managed a single nod before looking up at him again. _Fuck him, _she thought. She hated seeming weak.

"Where did you get it from?" he asked sternly, a fierce look in his eyes.

"What?" Lex asked, clearly confused.

Eric adjusted himself so he was straddling the girl's legs, bringing himself closer to her. He knew that the girl before him had several broken ribs and he reached out one of his large hands to grip around the injured area. He squeezed tightly as he asked again.

"Where did you get the vampire blood?"

Lex gasped as her hands reached to her side, desperately trying to remove his firm hold on her side. She shivered slightly as her hands rested on his strong, cold ones.

"Stop, please," she managed to get out. He loosened his grip on her slightly and waited expectantly.

Lex swallowed nervously. "Somebody gave it to me," she began cautiously. "I don't normally do it—like I don't ever do it but I was beyond drunk last night and it just happened," she explained.

"Who gave it to you?" he asked, his hand remaining against her injured ribs.

Lex closed her eyes tightly for a moment. She wouldn't give up her friend, that was for sure. But she couldn't hesitate, she was certain the vampire could read her and know when she was lying.

"Some vampire named Ben?" she offered, as the vampire's name from the night before sprung up in her mind. She prayed that the man before her wouldn't know Ben and it would all be dropped.

"Ben," Eric mused. He wasn't familiar with all of the vampires in his area, but he didn't ever recall meeting someone named Ben.

"You've used before?" he asked her, curious about the way she had answered his earlier question.

"No," Lex lied, her voice as firm as possible.

"Liar." He nudged her injured side, his face masked of all emotion as the young human gasped in pain. He stood up and turned around, ready to retire to the bedroom that he kept at _Fangtasia_ for his late nights. He figured the girl would be ready to talk by the following evening, when he awoke.

"Wait." The quiet plea stopped Eric, and he turned with a cocked eyebrow to the girl sitting on the ground. She was wiping wet blood from her lips, her legs still crumpled underneath her from when he had thrown her against the wall a few minutes earlier.

"Who are you?" Lex asked him.

"Interesting," Eric said to himself. He had assumed the girl had known exactly who he was—most of the people who came to his bar came simply to see him. He walked back towards her, stopping a few feet away.

"Eric Northman, Sheriff of Area 5," he replied.

"Sheriff," she mused, although she didn't seem surprised at all at the term.

"Hm," Eric replied, as he reached into the back pocket of his jeans. Lex watched as he pulled out a small card and read from it.

"And you are Alexsandra Nichole Christos, born May 3rd, 1988. 753 Brenton Street, Shreveport, Louisiana. 110 pounds, 5 feet 5 inches, brown eyes, black hair." He stopped for a second as he met her eyes. "And V-user," he added. "You know, my childe Pam was quite taken with you. Even she was surprised when I told her I had you down here. Perhaps she'd like to play later," he mused to himself.

Lex began trembling slightly as the situation really set in on her. She had done V, in a vampire bar, where apparently the vampire sheriff resided. _Idiot,_ she mentally chided herself.

Eric appeared before her in a second, his vampire speed startling her for a moment. He bent down to her level. He grabbed her chin again, although gentler this time, and pulled her face up so he could meet her eyes.

A serene look appeared over his face as he spoke, "Who gave you the blood?" His voice was calm as he glamoured her.

Lex swallowed nervously again, but she recognized his attempt at glamour. She repeated her lie as steadily as possible, "I don't know. I was really drunk and someone just put it in my hand."

Eric's brow furrowed at her answer. His glamour really hadn't worked on her. He smirked in amusement.

"Are you aware that you can resist glamour?" he asked her bluntly.

"Hm," she answered, looking away from him. An even more amused look passed across Eric's face at her reply.

He reached out for her long black hair, which was still matted and knotted from the attack earlier. He ran his fingers through it slightly, before grabbing it and yanking her head to the side, exposing her neck to him. She struggled underneath him and he used his other hand to roughly hold her in place.

"Please," she asked quietly. Lex would not allow some vampire to drain her—that could not possibly be the way she was supposed to die. It would be ironic, sure, but she just couldn't accept that. She attempted to struggle under his grasp, but it was useless.

"Sh," he quieted her harshly as he leaned down to her neck. She tensed as she felt his mouth on her skin. She expected him to immediately bite her but instead he pulled away slightly.

"Have you been claimed?" Eric asked against her neck, his mouth still hovering close to her skin.

Alexsandra bit her lip slightly at the question—a question which brought many memories to the surface.

"No," she answered. Eric recognized sadness in her voice.

She felt the sheriff inhale along her neck, as if trying to recognize the vampire who had marked her.

Finally, his fangs pierced her skin. She let out a slight gasp as she felt him suck through the holes he had created, as he pulled her own blood from her body. She struggled for a moment longer before closing her eyes and resting her head against the wall. Eric adjusted himself slightly so he was leaning against the small girl. His left hand buried itself into her long dark hair, while his right hand kept her neck exposed to him.

Lex felt her head become light, and she silently cursed herself for being so weak and giving in so easily.

She didn't even notice when Eric pulled his fangs out of her and leaned back to observe the girl in front of him. Her head rested against the basement wall. Her skin was paler from her injuries and blood loss, but he could tell she was naturally olive toned. She had large, oval eyes, with long eyelashes that framed them. Her hands lay uselessly at her sides, her black chipped fingernail polish blending in with the dark ground. She had a tiny frame, especially compared to Eric's large one.

She was very young, he knew, both by human and vampire standards. He noticed her closed eyes and her exposed neck, and dipped his mouth down to meet the holes he had made, taking a few last draws of blood before suckling on the wounds until they were somewhat sealed.

"Human," he mused, "but different." Her blood tasted amazing to him. It was exactly what he had said—it seemed human, but almost more, like the blood hid some secret about her. He enjoyed it.

He grabbed her chin, and Lex's eyes slightly fluttered open to meet his.

She seemed to scan his face, as if trying to recognize him, before she passed out.


	3. Chapter 3:

**Reviews are seriously appreciated. Thanks :)**

* * *

Eric found the girl quite interesting and wondered what to do with her. The sun was rising and he was ready to sleep. Making a quick decision, he reached into his jean's pocket and brought out a small key. Unlocking the manacle around her ankle, he scooped the tiny girl up in his arms, noticing how her long black hair fell over his arm and swayed as he moved her. He carried her to his quarters behind his office and laid her gently on top of the covers in his bed.

He was fairly certain that she would not wake before him. He had taken a considerable amount of blood from her already weakened body, and it would take her a while to come to.

Eric quickly pulled off his jeans and black tank top, climbed into bed, and fell asleep.

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He awoke at 6:30 the following evening, the same time he rose nearly every day and eyed the sleeping girl beside him. She had turned at some point during the day and her legs were slightly curled towards him. He got ready for his evening and then picked her up and placed her on the leather couch in his office, before finally sitting and tending to some of the paperwork on his desk.

His office door opened nearly an hour later and he looked up to see Pam smirking at the sleeping Lex.

"So we're keeping her?" Pam asked him, her voice light.

"I'm not quite sure," Eric answered truthfully.

"She's an interesting human," Pam mused as she lifted a lock of Lex's hair before dropping it again. "You should have seen her drinking last night. She may be more fish than human," Pam smiled at the memory.

"Perhaps you could get a background check on her for me?" Eric asked, as he grabbed Lex's ID off of his desk and tossed it to Pam.

"Sure, boss," she said, her eyes never leaving Lex. "You drank from her?" Pam asked, sounding slightly disappointed.

"Yes," Eric answered, looking up to meet his childe's glare. "She's delicious," he said with a smile.

Pam pursed her lips before turning on her heel and walking out of the office, slamming the door slightly as she left. Eric chuckled at his childe's impudence. His eyes returned to the papers on his desk for a moment before noticing the quietest moan. Had he not been a vampire, the small sound would have escaped him. He eyed the girl on the couch, waiting for her to wake.

Lex's brow furrowed and her eyes tightened as she willed herself to get up. At the moment, she couldn't remember what had happened to her. Her head was spinning. She knew that opening her eyes would bring the previous night's events back to her, and for the moment she was happy being ignorant of her situation.

After a moment though, curiosity took hold of her, and her eyes opened. Her eyes darted, taking in the office-like room that she appeared to be in. Lex shook her head slightly to clear her vision before attempting to scoot her body back on the couch to a seated position. Of course, her ribs protested at her movements and so she settled with a half-leaning position.

"Morning." Lex's eyes found the source of the sound, and she saw Eric sitting behind a large desk with stacks of paperwork on it.

"Hm," Lex grunted in reply. _I'm never drinking so much again, _she thought to herself.

Eric cocked his head to the side slightly, considering her.

"Water?" Lex asked quietly, slightly nervous about asking anything of the cruel vampire who sat before her.

"Pam," Eric said quietly. Lex turned her head quickly as she heard the office door being opened.

"Damnit," she muttered, the quick movement sending waves of pain through her body.

"You called," Pam answered Eric, although her gaze was fixed on Lex. "Well hello there," she said, as her eyes raked over the girl. "Aren't you just a beautiful bloody mess," she commented, a smirk on her face.

"Get her some water, Pam," Eric ordered, slightly annoyed with her flirting.

Pam left, returning a moment later with a bar glass filled with tap water. She handed it to Lex, who had gingerly reached out a hand for it. Pam and Eric both watched intently as Lex struggled to bring the glass to her lips and take a sip without spilling it on herself.

Lex found that she was very thirsty, but the effort of swallowing caused her ribs to throb, and most of what she tried to drink ended up soaking her black tanktop. After barely a sip, Lex reluctantly held the glass for Pam to take.

"I would have thought a human would need more to drink after an experience such as last night," Eric commented.

Lex pushed her back a little straighter against the couch as she answered. "Perhaps if half of said human's ribs weren't completely shattered, then the human could drink more."

Eric stood up from his chair and crossed the office to stand beside the small girl. He reached down and grabbed the bottom of her black tanktop. Lex's hand automatically met his there, even though she knew that his strength was far greater than hers. Eric's eyes met Lex's and she moved her hand to the side, allowing Eric access to whatever it was he was doing.

Eric pulled up Lex's tanktop until it was slightly above her bra and observed the black and blue skin which covered her rib cage. He fingered the skin delicately, as Lex let out a pained groan. She had known her ribs had to be broken, but she had not thought about the ugly and painful bruises which would surround the broken bones.

Eric let one of his long fingers trail across a single broken rib. Where the rib would normally continue from the outside of the human's chest to the middle, there was a large dip where a piece had broken off.

Lex shuddered.

Eric considered his options. If he wanted to keep the human around for a while, he would probably need to call the doctor. Either that or he could give her his own blood. Eric was not overly fond of forming that type of bond unnecessarily though, although it would be the quickest method of healing her. He could just let her injuries heal themselves the human way, but he was quite certain nothing would heal correctly and he'd be stuck with a crippled human. Lastly, he could always just kill her—he still wasn't completely sure if there was a reason for keeping her around anyways. He could tell that she was not a serious V-user—besides, he had already technically punished her enough for using.

Still, she interested him. She could resist glamour, even his, and even in her weakened, injured state.

"It would be a shame to never taste you again," he commented out loud, thinking back to how wonderful her blood had tasted as it had flowed from her into him the night before.

Lex let out an unsteady breath. She could tell that he had been considering his options as to what to do with her.

Eric came to a conclusion. For the moment, he would get her cleaned up—perhaps call Dr. Ludwig later that evening. He could always get rid of her later if that's what he decided.

He looked down at her cowering frame and called his childe to his office once more. Pam appeared in an instant.

"Master," she said sarcastically.

Eric turned to her with a smile. "I'll be bringing the human to my home for the evening—can you watch the bar?"

Pam knew it wasn't a request but a demand, and nodded her head obediently. Hell, even if it was a request, she would have said yes. She was fiercely loyal to her maker, despite his tendencies to annoy and frustrate her.

Lex watched the conversation curiously, understanding that she was the human he was referring to. Eric turned to the girl and before she could question it, he scooped her up in his arms.

Lex let out a muffled sound of pain before biting her lip to keep it in.

Eric carried her to his car quickly, settling her into his passenger side before climbing into the car himself. He glanced at Lex, who was gripping the door tightly in an attempt to make herself more comfortable. She was biting her lip hard enough to draw blood, and the scent of her delicious blood filled the car. He put the car into drive as he saw Lex's hand hovering over the lever to open the door.

"You can't possibly be considering escaping," he commented as he pulled out onto the road and saw her hand fall to her lap. "You'd be dead before you even opened the door."

Lex let out a frustrated sigh.

"Fucking vampires," she muttered.

A quick hand jabbed at her side, causing Lex to double over in the small sports car. She turned to glare at Eric furiously.

He let out a small snort and tapped at his ear. "Vampire hearing, sweatheart."

Lex stayed quiet for the remainder of the drive. Her head rested against the headrest and her eyes were closed. She knew she should be paying attention to where he was taking her, but she was so exhausted. Her body was weary from being in constant pain and she was sure that she had lost plenty of blood when Eric had drank from her the night before.

She opened her eyes slowly when she realized they had stopped. Through the windshield, Lex squinted up at a huge old-style mansion. White columns stood in front of house and stone steps led to the front door.

Eric had the ignition off and was opening Lex's door before she knew what was happening. He reached in to grab her, but she slapped at him. Eric actually took a step back, an amused look on his face.

"I can fucking walk," Lex complained, grabbing at the door of the car to help pull herself from her seat.

"This should be entertaining," Eric commented, his arms folded in front of his chest.

As Lex pulled herself to a standing position she finally had a chance to notice just how tall Eric was compared to her. She felt tiny compared to his towering figure.

Lex steadied herself. Her shoulders were hunched forward slightly and one arm was grasped around her throbbing chest almost protectively. She prayed that she could walk. She took a tentative step forward, using the red Corvette convertible to help steady herself.

Eric watched her as she carefully crossed the short distance to the bottom of the stairs. She looked up at the set of ten steps almost angrily, and Eric appeared at her side quickly. Lex looked up at him and rolled her eyes.

"Fine," she finally said. He reached forward and scooped her in his arms. Lex felt relief as her legs stopped throbbing. Eric opened the door to his home and stepped inside with the human in his arms. He closed the door behind them before ascending the stairway of his home with vampire speed.

When Lex opened her eyes again, Eric was setting her down gently in a pristine white bathroom. Everything was a marble white color. A huge tub took up the corner of the bathroom, while a large, open shower area stood at the other side of the room.

Lex nearly let out a content sigh at the idea of a shower. Her hair was matted to her head and she had blood all over her body.

"Let's get you cleaned up," Eric suggested.

Lex turned to look at him, losing her balance in the process and grabbing his arm to steady herself. Eric cocked an eyebrow at her, clearly amused. He led her gently to the countertop, pushing her back so that her weight was leaning against it.

He reached down to the bottom of her tanktop, pulling it up and over her head to expose a black bra. Then he reached down to the button of her jeans, but her hands swatted his away.

"I can do that," she said, nearly growling at him. He allowed her to unbutton them herself and watched as she attempted to pull them off before again consenting to his help. She leaned against him as he gently tugged the tight jeans off of her.

As the jeans fell to the floor, Eric's eyes took in Lex's long legs. His eyes narrowed slightly as he looked them up and down, mesmerized by the many scars that were scattered across her inner thighs. Hundreds, perhaps—and they were all scarred bite marks.

Eric raised his gaze to meet Lex's. When she realized what he had seen, she squeezed her legs together slightly, attempting to recover some dignity.

After an uncomfortably silence, he helped her remove her bra and underwear and led her to the shower. Lex glared at him the entire time, furious to have to rely on someone—especially someone such as Eric—for so much assistance.

Eric had turned on the water, and Lex sighed as she felt it burn her body. She looked down and saw that the draining water was tinged red. She reached for a washcloth and lost her balance slightly, wishing that the shower was not so large and had shower doors like a normal shower. She was steadied by a light touch, and she looked to see Eric standing a few feet from her, slightly out of the water's range but close enough to have a light grip on her hip to steady her.

Lex stood under the shower for a long time, allowing the hot water to soak through her hair and skin, rinsing her body clean of all the dried blood from the night before. The water was shut off, and she turned to see Eric standing beside her with a large black towel open for her. She stepped into it carefully, grateful to have some privacy back as her body was covered in the large, fluffy towel. She blinked her eyes sleepily as Eric actually wrapped the towel around her and picked her up again.

She didn't argue or struggle with him. For the first time in the past day and a half, she felt comfortable, warm, and clean. Sure, her ribs still throbbed and her body still ached. Her head pounded from exhaustion, blood loss, and a killer hangover, but somehow the shower made it all hurt a little less. She closed her eyes contentedly and leaned her head against Eric's black t-shirt.

Her head bobbed slightly to his gentle steps until he stopped. Lex opened her eyes to find herself in a large bedroom. She felt Eric lower her onto a bed, and she breathed in a wonderful, earthy scent as her head hit one of the fluffy pillows. She found her eyes closing and gave herself to unconsciousness as she fell asleep almost immediately.


	4. Chapter 4:

She woke only a few hours later to a very short woman in scrubs standing over her. There was an IV drip in her arm and for a moment, Lex was frightened. She recoiled slightly until she heard Eric's voice.

"Alexsandra," the voice was commanding and immediately Lex turned to it, finding Eric sitting on the other side of her in the bed, one of his hands gently combing through her soft hair. "This is Dr. Ludwig," Eric motioned to the doctor.

Lex nodded in understanding, relaxing into the bed again. Eric continued to unconsciously run his fingers through Lex's hair, and she found herself focusing on the comforting motions instead of what Dr. Ludwig was trying to tell her about her injuries.

"…quite a concussion, and six broken ribs. Your knee was gashed up pretty badly as well, but I think I've wrapped it so the gash will heal up well enough on its own. I cleaned it out, though, so you'll avoid any infection." Lex turned her head to acknowledge the doctor. "I've wrapped your chest to help them heal, and I've already giving you a potion that works pretty well with resetting broken ribs."

_Potion? _Lex wondered. She looked down to see that her upper body had been wrapped in a thick white ACE bandage. It squeezed uncomfortably against her injuries. Shifting her legs slightly, she also realized that a pair of silky boxers had been put on her at some point in her sleep. She was grateful for the comfortable shorts, and realized Eric must have done that before the doctor showed up.

"Problem with that resetting tonic is that it'll probably make you feel pretty sick, but that's all normal. Symptoms should go away pretty quickly." Lex nodded at the doctor, only partially listening to her. She was just so tired…

"Alright vampire," the small doctor addressed Eric. "If you can keep from killing the girl, she should heal pretty nicely." Dr. Ludwig removed the IV drip from Lex's arm and gathered up her supplies.

"Thanks Doctor," Eric acknowledged, looking at the small healer.

"Yeah, whatever. Fucking vampires."

Lex smiled slightly at the old woman's distaste for vampires. Eric chuckled as well as he listened to Dr. Ludwig descend the stairs and exit his home.

Eric stopped running his fingers through Lex's hair and fingered her bandages lightly.

"Well little human, the doctor says you'll heal nicely," he said, repeating her words.

Lex nodded, still too tired to really comprehend everything. The bed she was in was so comfortable, she noticed as she snuggled a little deeper into the pillows, and the pain in her sides seemed to be subsiding a little.

Eric took in a deep unnecessary breath. "Sunrise," he breathed out, "will be here soon."

Lex nodded again, briefly wondering how long Eric would keep her until he either let her go or killed her. For the moment, she forgot the worrisome thought and concentrated on enjoying the nearly pain-free moment she was having. She closed her eyes and turned her body toward Eric, curling it slightly as she relaxed into the bed.

Lex woke up with her arms clutched around her stomach, her broken ribs completely forgotten as violent pain ripped through her belly. She moaned loudly, curling her body in a fetal position in order to try and get rid of the hot pain. Her knees collided with something hard and she opened her eyes slightly to find Eric about a foot from her, lying in bed facing her.

She straightened her legs out immediately as something else seemed to rip into her stomach. She bit on her lip to keep from screaming out. She squeezed her eyes shut as tight as she could as the pain continued to roll through her stomach. She opened them a minute later to see Eric staring at her intently.

Lex whimpered slightly, bringing her knees up and then straightening her legs again, attempting to find a position that relieved some of the pain. It seemed to be burning her from the inside out.

"Alexsandra." His voice called her eyes to his again. He saw her face scrunched up in pain, part of her hair falling over her face as she brought her chin down to her chest.

She met his eyes and very quietly said, "It hurts."

Eric nodded in understanding. He pushed her hair out of her face and scooted closer to her. He reached a hand out and pulled her closer to him.

Lex was oblivious to his movements as pains continued to rip through her. When she looked up again she found herself pressed up against his cold bare chest, the coolness calming her slightly. She found herself curling against his body, attempting to get as much skin-to-skin contact in order to cool the burning pain inside of her. She buried her head in his chest and dug her nails into his arm. She wasn't sure how long she stayed like that or if he was awake anymore, but she continued to press herself against him, desperate for some relief from the pain.

"Easy girl," she heard him whisper as she clutched to him desperately.

In a moment of anger, she pushed against him, furious at him and at the pain she was suffering through. She balled her hands into tight fists and hit against his chest as hard as she could, digging her nails into his indestructible skin as tears fell silently from her eyes.

She continued to push against him as he held her there, shushing her gently. Eventually, Lex's anger and pain calmed slightly, and her fists quieted against his chest. Her body still moved with her small sobs, but soon those also stopped. Lex felt as Eric pulled her closer against him, and she found herself comforted as she burrowed her head against him again.

"Sleep, Alexsandra," he commanded gently. With a final deep breath, Lex closed her eyes and relaxed. She was exhausted, and succumbed to darkness immediately.

Lex woke the next day with a clear head. She felt completely refreshed after the confusion and pain that had filled the last two days. She snuggled into the soft sheets before opening her eyes, surprised to find she was snuggling against a cold, hard body.

It had been a long time since Lex had slept with a vampire. She missed their coolness and how still they were when the slept. Like stone, they did not move, but slept peacefully from sunrise to sunset each evening. It was predictable, something that she had loved when she was growing up.

_She was only twelve. It had only been a year since the death of her parents but she had grown close to Nicholas. He called to her from his darkened room. It was nearly sunrise, and he would be retiring. He stood in the middle of the room as she entered, wearing only a pair of black pajama pants. His hard chest was pale under the bedroom's dim lights, except for the dark tattoos which circled his arms. He smiled as she entered the room._

_"It's time to sleep Alexsandra," he said quietly._

_Lex smiled. She loved the hours she had been able to keep while living with the vampire. Since he had taken her in, she had grown used to sleeping during the day and playing during the night. She followed Nicholas into bed. She brought her knees up into her chest, curling up against him while burrowing her head against his cool chest._

_"Sh," he soothed her before singing her lullabies from his human life in ancient Greece._

"Nicholas," she whispered, barely knowing that the name was escaping from her lips.

Lex shook her head from painful past memories. She lived in the present only these days—one of the most important reasons she had moved to Shreveport was to get out of the past and on with the present.

She opened her eyes to find Eric staring at her. She arched her eyebrows at him, feeling playful, enjoying being in the arms of a vampire once more.

"Is this how you get women into your bed? Torture and nearly kill them, just to have a warm body to sleep with at night?" She gave him a half smile.

"Sometimes," Eric said, his eyes joking. "Who's Nicholas?" he asked suddenly, startling Lex with the question.

She closed her eyes tightly as she answered. "An old friend."

Eric did not press the subject. He knew that Pam should have a background check on the mysterious Alexsandra, and then perhaps he would find out more about where she came from, why she resisted glamour, and what vampire had marked her.

Eric traced circles on Lex's bare shoulder, momentarily mesmerized by the goosebumps that arose wherever he touched.

She watched him interestedly as he followed her skin down from her shoulder.

"What's this?" he asked, fingering a long scar that ran from below her shoulder to her elbow.

She shrugged away from his touch as he fingered the scar. It gave her chills.

"You know, old wounds," she answered quietly.

He was quiet as he took in her reply.

"So Sheriff," Lex addressed him, "am I prisoner here forever or am I free to go?"

Eric's eyes were thoughtful. "I haven't decided yet," he admitted. "What're your opinions on the matter?" He smirked.

Lex raised herself up on her elbow slightly, putting a little bit of distance between them.

"I personally believe I've paid for my offense and should be free to go."

"But you've not yet told me where the vampire blood came from," Eric argued. "What kind of Sheriff would I be if I allowed vampire blood users to run free and their suppliers to go unpunished?"

Lex shrugged, the movement causing her black wavy hair to fall over her bare shoulders. "I don't care much for vampire politics," she said honestly.

"You act as if you know about our politics." Eric eyed the beautiful girl before him quizzically.

"I know enough," Lex admitted. She knew that it was politics that had taken the vampire who was her brother, her father, her son away from her. That was enough for her.

As she laid thinking about the past once again, her stomach growled loudly, a thankful interruption to her thoughts.

"Someone is hungry," Eric commented, the corner of his mouth turning up slightly at her obvious humanity.

"Hmm," Lex agreed. "I don't suppose a vampire has any human food in his home?"

"No," Eric answered, "But I can make some arrangements."

Lex cocked an eyebrow at him.

"Leave a list for me and I'll have the items picked up," Eric told her.

Lex let out a frustrated sigh and turned so that she was lying on her back staring up at the ornate ceiling above her.

"I suppose that means you're planning on keeping me here for a while longer," she said to the ceiling.

"I'm not sure I'm ready to release you yet," Eric answered truthfully. Lex let out an aggravated snort at his answer.

She stared up at the ceiling, considering her situation. She knew that Eric was very old—which meant he was powerful and strong. If he wasn't ready to release her then there would be no possibility of her escaping.

Lex was fairly certain the Viking vampire was finished hurting her, and she wondered if she should consider her captivity as a type of vacation. Eric was gorgeous, even by Lex's abnormally high standards, and as he currently had her lying in his bed and not in the bar's basement, she assumed that he was taken by her as well.

"God damn vampires," Lex cursed. She rolled her eyes to the side to catch Eric's smirk.

"You're not a fan of the fang, I see." Eric raised himself up on elbow to look down at the girl who lay beside him.

When she didn't reply, Eric pushed further. "Why can't you be glamoured?" he asked her.

Lex shifted in the bed uncomfortably at his question. She reached up to adjust the top of her bandages slightly, ensuring that it was still completely covering her chest.

With a sigh, she turned to look at him.

"My mind has been strongly guarded since before I can remember," she said, her answer honest yet vague.

"And why would that be?" Eric questioned.

Lex reached an arm up, rubbing her eyes with her hand in annoyance.

"I don't know. Maybe I'm just an exceptionally talented human?" she offered, throwing the blonde vampire a sarcastic smile.

"Or perhaps you're lying to me," Eric growled softly.

"Kinda makes you wish you could glamour me doesn't it?" Lex gave him a playful smirk.

"There are other ways to obtain information besides just glamour," Eric mused. For a moment he contemplated throwing the girl back into his basement and torturing the information he wanted out of her. He quickly reined his temper in though and reminded himself to be patient.

"You vampires really get off on your torture don't you?" Lex commented with a sigh, her legs shifting uncomfortably as she did so. Eric noticed her discomfort and quickly used the moment to question her further.

"Who gave you them?" He asked, almost softly.

Lex feigned ignorance. "What are you talking about?" she asked, although she knew what he was referring to.

Eric narrowed his eyes at her. Sitting up, he pulled the sheets away from her small body and moved down towards her legs.

Lex cleared her throat uncomfortably.

"Please don't," she said quietly.

Eric ignored her and spread her legs slightly with his strong hands. He fingered the scars that littered her olive skin. They would have been nearly invisible to a human, but there were clearly dozens of them—most of them seemed violent, as if her skin was not pierced gently but was instead assaulted by fangs.

"These are from when you were young?" Eric mused, fingering a single scar.

Lex shivered from his touch but nodded slightly.

"What happened?" Eric asked, truly intrigued. Not many vampires he knew would take such a young child, unless they intended to kill her.

Lex shrugged as the memory hit her again—a memory that had been buried a long time. She had buried that memory with Nicholas, the night that he had taught her that some vampires could be trusted.

She swallowed nervously. "I was twelve," she began. "Vampires killed my parents," she said simply, hoping to shorten the story as much as possible. "They tortured me for a while before I…escaped."

Eric cocked an eyebrow at her questioningly, coming back up to sit by her again.

"And how did such a young and injured girl escape vampires?"

Lex shrugged. "A friend."

Eric realized she wasn't going to divulge much information, but he pushed her further nonetheless.

"And what did you do once your parents were dead?"

"I moved on," Lex said simply. "Traveled a bit." She smiled slightly.

"At such a young age? You managed all on your own?" Eric questioned, watching as Lex's eyes seemed to glaze over with memories.

"I lived with my friend," she said quietly, closing her eyes slightly and turning back to face Eric.

"Nicholas?" Eric guessed.

Lex nodded slowly.

"Nicholas is vampire?" Eric continued.

Lex gave him another nod, her eyes casting downward to the sheets.

"You aren't one to divulge much are you?" Eric asked her, feeling quite annoyed at all of her secrecy.

"Vampires aren't always the best secret keepers," she replied, locking eyes with him intently.

"I disagree."

"Yeah, well, you would," Lex said sarcastically. She moved to settle herself in a seated position against his headboard and winced at her sore body.

Eric stood up from the bed, and Lex couldn't help but marvel at his wide, muscular chest.

"You'll tell me what I want to know, Alexsandra," Eric told her as he disappeared into his bathroom.

Lex rolled her eyes once he was out of sight.

"Why do I always end up with vampires?" she groaned quietly. A small chuckle emitted from the bathroom.

"Stop fucking eavesdropping!" she yelled to Eric's empty bedroom, although she knew that the vampire had heard her.


End file.
